Hoisting and lifting device



Jan. 20, 1953 H. L. BRAUN 2,626,176

HOIST ING AND LIFTING DEVICE Filed May 12, 1950 Ii W ull

IN V EN TOR.

HENRY L. BRAUN A 7- TORNE Y5 Patented Jan. 20, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HOISTING AND LIFTING DEVICE Henry L. Braun, Albany, N. Y.

Application May 12, 1950, Serial No. 161,651

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to hoisting and lifting devices. More particularly, it pertains to. such devices which are adapted for hoistingbuilding blocks, and the like, to elevated levels when using such blocks for construction purposes, and the provision of such a device is a principal object of the invention. 7 Another object of the invention is the provision of such a hoisting device provided with a lifting line adapted to lift building blocks to upper floors or scaffolds in buildings undergoing construction, and whereby the same readily can be disengaged from such blocks after having been hoisted into position.

Another object of the invention is the provision of such a device which is adapted to be used as a hand lift, readily to transport one or more of such blocks from place to place, as when loading or unloading the same during transportation from the place of manufacture to the place of ultimate use.

Another object of the invention is the provision of such a device which is made from a single piece of stock, is economical of manufacture, readily adapted for use in engaging and lifting one or more of such blocks, equally readily disengageable therefrom when the same have been hoisted into position for use, and which is otherwise well-suited to the purposes for which it is intended.

Specifically, it is an object of the invention to provide a device of the character above described which is adapted for use in hoisting and lifting cored building blocks, and the like, and which comprises an elongated member bent at one end to provide a hook, and adapted grippingly to engage a wall of the block, the other end of said device constituting a hoisting and lifting handle, and the distance from the end of said hook to the end of the handle being at least equivalent in length to the depth of such a block.

More specifically, it is an object of the invention to provide a lifting and hoisting device for building blocks, preferably those which are of standard size, which comprises a single elongated bar of bendable metal, the bar being bent at an intermediate portion thereof to provide an angular extension, and the angular extension having a return bend therein to form a hook portion extending substantially parallel to the remaining portion of the bar, with the other end of the bar preferably being bent to receive a hoisting line for the device, the remaining unbent or intermediate portion of the bar being at least equivalent in length to the combined length, of the hook portion and the depth of the block.

Still further objects of the invention are the provision of such a device which is adapted readily tobe slipped into position on such blocks, which will hold the blocks in such a manner that it is substantially impossible for them to fall off the device or to become disengaged therefrom during use, but, whereby the blocks readily and easily can be set upon a scaffold or other place and disengaged without the untying .of knots in ropes or other lines such as those heretofore used, and which device is otherwise readily adapted to pick up cinder and hollow tile blocks, preferably, but not exclusively, those which are of standard size, the device also being useful for lifting pails of water, mortar, and the like.

Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises ahoisting and lifting device possessing the features, properties, and relation of elements which will be exemplified in the article of manufacture hereinafter described and the scope of the application ofwhich will be indicated in the claim.

For a fuller understanding ofthe nature. and objects of the invention reference should be had to the following detailed ,description,.take n in connection with the accompanying drawing, in

which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a preferred form of a single bar of flat metallic stock adapted readily to be bent as indicated along the dotted lines into a hoisting and lifting handle embodied by the invention; I

Fig. 2 is a perspective view depicting a conventional type of building block, such as a cinder block, illustrating a hoisting and lifting handle hooked into position in the block to raise the same; and Y Fig. 3 is a side elevational view illustrating the hoisting and lifting device in operation, showing such a building block in dotted lines being raised by the device, and further illustrating the manner in which the block is tilted into safety hook-engaging position.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, there is shown in Fig. 1 a bar l0, preferably of fiat, metallic stock which is adapted to be bent along the dotted lines as indicated at ll, I2 and I3 to provide a hoisting and lifting handle embodied by the invention. Such a bar may also constitute an elongated member which is rounded or otherwise shaped in cross section, or even a piece of hollow pipe, but preferably is flatand of .a width which will prevent sidewise tilting of the blocks after the bar has been bent in position and put'to use.

The bar when bent at the transverse lines indicated at II and [2 provides an intermediate body portion M, an angularly extending portion l5, and a portion I6 which constitutes a return bend to provide a hook in which the portion l6 preferably is substantially parallel to the intermediate unbent portion [4.

At its other end the bar is transversely bent aroundthedotted line indicated at-l3 to. provide an eye I! adapted to receive a line or rope I8 so that the device can be used in hoisting building blocks to elevated positions on scaffolds or other places during building construction, 1

The building block indicated generally at [9 might be considered as being of standard size although it will be understood that the device is not necessarily confined to this particular type or to standard size blocks, but is described, and claimed in this connection because it is more readily adapted foruse with this type ofblock. Such blocks are usually about 12 inches in depth and weigh in the neighborhood of about 65v to '70 pounds. They generally comprise side walls 20 withtop and bottom walls 2| and 22 respectively, with transverse walls or panels 23 which are formed by cored openings 24.

The hook portion of the device formed by the angular extension and bent portion 16, together with the intermediateportion overlying the extension [6, isof such size that it readily can be thrust through any of the cored openings 24 in order grippingly to engage the side walls 20, or. the panels 23 in order to lift the block., However, such blocks preferablyare lifted by engagingthe hook portion with the top wall, 2| as illus-- trated in the drawing. When a blockis so engaged by the hook portion, and the latterllifted to raise the block, it will be observed that the block slides down into the angular portion of the hook and is tilted in such a manner that it cannot slip off when it is being raised to an elevated position. In order to insure such safety in this respect, the parallel extension portion [6 of the hook preferably is of such a length that it extends at least half way into the cored opening 24 or, in other words, the length of thi portion of the hook should preferably be at least half the depth of such a block, whether of standard size or otherwise. Thus, it will be seen that the block is engaged at three points during the lifting operation substantially as shown at 25, 26 and 21.

It is also important, where it is intended to insert the hook through the cored portion of such a block-in order to grasp the outside walls 20.0r the panels 23, that the intermediate portion of the device M be of such length that, when the hook portion is inserted into such openings, the hook willpass .completely therethrough in order to be redrawnintothe block to engage the same solthat the hand of the operator need not be in- .serted into, or in contact with the rough surfaces .of-thev block. In other-words, the length of the intermedate portion," taken from. aline drawn perpflndicularly thereto fromthe end of the-hook 1 portiori25, to theendQof the liftin geye l'lgshould be a'fdisitance which is. atleast equal to the depth ofth block Another manner of defining the lengthiof the unbent portion of the. bar 1 4. is to say that it should be at least equivalent in length to the combined length of the hook portion l6 and the depth of the block. 4

Such a device as that above described has many advantages. For example, it is primarily to elevated positions on scaffolds or other places where buildings are undergoing construction. In hoisting two of such blocks, the bottom of one is placed atop another so that both adjacent top and bottom walls can simultaneously be grasped by the hook by inserting the same through the lower cored portion of the upper block and having the hook portion l6 engage the upper or top Wall of the lower block. For this reason, it is desirable that the spaced-apart portions of the hook be such that they not only are adapted readily to be inserted through the cored portions of sucha block, but that the spacing of the hook portion be such that the hook is readily adapted to engage-two adjacently placed walls of individual blocks. Also, the device provides a great measure'of safety because of the fact that the block, or blocks, when raised by such a device are so tilted in position into the hook portion that it is substantially completely impossible for the blocks to become disengaged from the hook when the block, or blocks, are being elevated. Yet, such a hook can readily be engaged and disengaged at the will of the operator. Furthermore, the block can readily be used as a hand lifting device because the extending portion thereof makes it possible for an operator, without the use of a rope, to pick 'up' one or more of such blocks for ready transportation after they have been manufactured, for loading purposes, as well as unloading purposes, when such blocks reach their point of destination for ultimate use. By such means, blocks of this type need not be handled manually by gripping the, rough surfaces thereof, and the use of gloves is eliminated, so that the operators need have no fear of cutting or scratching the hands when moving such blocks.

It will thus be seen that the objects hereinbefore set forth may readily and efiiciently be attained, and since certain changes may be made in the above device and different embodiments of the invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description, or shown in the accompanying drawing, shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claim is intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween,

Having described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A device of the character described, for use in hoisting cored building blocks to elevated positions on scafiolds and other places on buildings undergoing construction, comprising a single, elongated piece of metal bar stock, said barbeing transversely bent at an intermediate portion angularly to provide an elongated hoisting handle portion and an L-shaped hoisting hook portion; the base of said L -shaped hoisting hook portion connecting said handle potrion integrally atone end and connecting the leg of said L-shaped hook portion integrally at its other end; said leg being shorter than said handle portion and being so constructed and arranged in spaced relation with respect to said handle that the entire device will pass through the cored opening of such a block and to grip the transverse portions therein as well as to grip the outer walls thereof to hoist the block into position; the free end of said hoisting 5 6 handle being bent upon itself to provide an eye REFERENCES CITED for the reception of a hoisting line; said hoisting Th f 11 f c 15 rd the handle being equivalent in length to the combined file giggi g? eren es are 0 new 1 length of the leg of the L-shaped hook portion and the depth of such a block, in order that the 5 UNITED T ES PATENTS same can be gripped at the eye portion by the hand of a user, inserted through the core of a gg i ffi Jan block and retraced to grip a wall or partition 1 205852 Buehler 1916 thereof without said hand striking the rough, 1245216 Gohlke 1917 shar-p surfaces of the block; and a hoisting line 10 2241084 Dobbins g, 1941 attached to said eye.

HENRY L. BRAUN. 

